IIndulge your taste buds with this elegant yet simple Italian-inspired dish! Made with succulent shrimp, zesty lemon, savory parmesan cheese, and al dente cooked pasta, this EASY restaurant-worthy recipe is ready in 15 minutes!
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Seafood
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: easy shrimp scampi, linguine shrimp scampi, linguine with shrimp scampi, recipe for shrimp scampi with pasta, shrimp scampi linguine, shrimp scampi pasta, shrimp scampi recipe with pasta
Servings: 4
Calories: 605kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1pounddry linguine pastaangel hair pasta, spaghetti, pappardelle, farfalle, or long-strand pasta may be substituted
¼ to ⅓cuppasta waterreserved from cooking the pasta
4tablespoonsunsalted butterdivided
2 to 3tablespoonsolive oil
1small yellow onionfinely diced
3 to 5clovesgarlicfinely minced or pressed
1 to to 1.25poundslarge fresh raw shrimpcleaned and deveined, with tails on or off as desired*
1teaspoonsaltor to taste
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
¼cupwhite wineoptional but recommended (sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio are my favorites, chardonnay is fine)
2 to 3tablespoonslemon juice
½cupfinely grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsleyoptional but recommended for garnishing
Red pepper flakesoptional but recommended for garnishing
Instructions
Pasta - Cook the pasta to al dente as directed on the packaging, drain, and set aside until it's needed. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water. While the pasta is boiling, begin cooking the shrimp.
Shrimp - To a large, high-sided skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter, the olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat to melt the butter.
Add the onions and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until becoming soft and translucent; stir frequently.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir nearly constantly.
Add the shrimp* (see Notes), evenly season with the salt and pepper, cook for 1 minute on the first side, flip, and cook for 1 minute on the second side until shrimp are turning pink and are opaque; they should be about 90% cooked at this point. It's okay if they are not cooked completely because they will be simmering a couple minutes longer.
Add the white wine, lemon juice, remaining butter, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are completely cooked through and the liquid volume has reduced a bit and smells aromatic. Please see Notes below re cooking with wine if you're concerned.
Add the Parmesan and stir to combine.
Add the cooked pasta to the shrimp, 1/4 to 1/3 cup pasta water, and toss very well to combine. Tips - If your skillet is large enough, you can do this in your skillet, otherwise do it in a large bowl. Depending on how saucy or dry your pasta looks, add a touch more pasta water, if needed.
Optionally and to taste add the parsley, red pepper flakes, and toss to combine.
Serve immediately. Recipe is best served warm and fresh and while leftovers will keep airight in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, it's a dish best enjoyed right after making it. You technically can freeze it for up to 3 months, but again, fresh is truly best. Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or as needed, taking care not to overheat them.
*Shrimp - I highly recommend using fresh, raw medium-large to large shrimp for this easy shrimp scampi pasta recipe. For me, that means 12 to 15-count shrimp, or 12 to 15 shrimp per pound. You can keep the tails on as I did for enhanced cosmetic appearance, or you can remove the tails (for easier eating) - your choice. I always use fresh shrimp when shrimp is the star of the recipe as opposed to frozen shrimp. If you’re using frozen shrimp, make sure you know whether they’re been previously cooked (and all you need to do is thaw and warm them) or if they were frozen raw (and you’ll need to thaw and then cook them) and act accordingly.Wine Info - You'll be able to smell the alcohol cooking off from the wine in the first minute or so of simmering. Anyone who's concerned about using wine, I don't believe in 1/4 cup of wine that you're using for this entire recipe that feeds 4 people, that there is any tangible alcohol content that remains, but this is my opinion. If not using wine, I recommend chicken broth, a bit more lemon juice, or possibly cooking sherry. However, some sherry can taste cheap and could overpower the shrimp so use what you're familiar with.